LYNCHBURG, Va. – A weather delay of more than an hour did little to derail the Big South preseason favorite, as Liberty held off Longwood 2-1 in a Big South rivalry showdown Wednesday evening at Osborne Stadium.
 
Taking on a Longwood (4-7-0, 1-1-0 Big South) team that entered the afternoon on a two-game winning streak, the Flames got a late go-ahead goal from Gabrielle Farrell in the 76th minute just before a nearby lightning strike halted the game with under 12 minutes left on the clock. Play resumed approximately an hour and a half later, but former Big South Player of the Year Holly Van Noord hauled in the lone shot on goal the Lancers managed during the closing minutes.
 
Van Noord six-save night was enough to make Farrell's game-winner stand, erasing an equalizer from Longwood's three-time All-Big South midfielder Amanda Spencer who tied the game in the 66th minute. That goal, Spencer's second of the season, came on a perfectly placed lofting cross from fellow midfielder Kathryn Miller but stood for just 10 minutes before Farrell reclaimed the lead for Liberty (5-6-0, 1-1-0).
 
 "It's always a battle between our two programs, and tonight was no different," said head coach Todd Dyer. "Liberty had the edge in terms of possession and territory, but we still created at least four other clear chances beyond the goal we scored. We just weren't able to take advantage."
 
The bulk of Longwood's chances came in the opening half when the Lancers outshot the Flames on goal 4-0 but entered halftime with nothing to show for it. That scoreless deadlock lasted until the 58th minute when Devon Jones finally broke the game open with a go-ahead score. That goal was the byproduct of four opening shots for the Flames in the second half, three of which Kirby dispatched until Jones deflected a pass into the box from Isabella Habuda.
 
The loss derails a two-game winning streak for the Lancers (4-7-0, 1-1-0), who had rebounded from four one-goal losses in the non-conference portion of the schedule to win two straight entering Wednesday's matchup. The most recent of those wins was a five-goal explosion in a shutout against Gardner-Webb in the Big South opener this past Saturday, but that goal-scoring prowess didn't carry over against a Liberty team that has allowed the third fewest goals in the Big south.
 
"We weren't at our best tonight, and give Liberty credit for that," Dyer said. "Now we get ready for Winthrop on Saturday and do all we can to get back on track."
 
That showdown against the Eagles kicks off at 2 p.m. at the Longwood Athletics Complex, the first game of a doubleheader with the Longwood men's soccer team, which hosts Campbell at 6 p.m.
 
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